Sia

Country of origin:

Type of music generally:

Status:

See also:

Comparisons:

Sarah McLachlan, Dido (but more down-tempo); early work was compared to Nikka Costa and Nelly Furtado)

Covers/own material:

Co-written, occasional cover

General comments:

Sia provided the vocals on Zero 7's Destiny (and another couple tracks on the album I believe). Her first solo album was a bit like funky soul (in the sort of Nikka Costa/Poe vein) I quite like it a lot—it is great for cranking the volume on in the car... Her second solo album is a lot quieter and hasn't held my attention as much... (gordoja@optonline.net)

The main vocalist from Zero 7, Sia (Furler) is another favourite of mine and is also great live (both with and without Zero 7). Her album Colour the Small One is one of my favourites of the last couple of years. (muttley64@ntlworld.com)

a friend of mine has been flogging the sia horse to me for the past couple months. when i finally got a chance to listen to something other than "breathe me," I was rather surprised to discover that she had more of a soul/r&b vibe. that is normally not my thing, but i rather enjoyed her voice and tone so i picked up her new record (some people have real problems) as well. i enjoy that too. in a nutshell, sia strikes me as an interesting corrine bailey rae.
i should also point out that sia's videos are quite imaginative as well. definitely worth tracking on youtube or what-have-you. (woj@smoe.org)

Produced by:

Jimmy Hogarth; additional production by Four Tet and Ulrich Schanuss on "Breathe Me" remixes

Comments:

I've had Colour the Small One for a while, but still haven't gotten into it. There's something about her voice that's just a little bit too affected for me. (timjy@sbcglobal.net)

While overall it does not have the same impact [as the song "Breathe Me"], it is an enjoyable record in its own right. (afries@zip.com.au)

what a wonderful voice. I didn't like her first solo release too much but this one seems much more promising to me. (salondon@uci.edu)

A solid effort. While I don't find it quite as engaging as her later work, there are a number of really good songs, including "Breathe Me." The US release includes the excellent "Broken Biscuit" and "Sea Shells" and 2 "Breathe Me" remixes. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Group members:

Guest artists:

Produced by:

Dan Carey (1)

Comments:

I love this live album. There's 1 new studio song, 2 Zero 7 songs, 1 track from her first studio album, 3 from her second (including a killer version of "Breathe Me"), and 2 previews of her third. This album has more of the soul/r&b vibe, and Sia really lets loose with the vocals. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Produced by:

Jimmy Hogarth

Comments:

To me it is indeed a pleasant surprise. I wasn't familiar with Sia before this happy encounter except for the song "Breathe Me" and her guest appearances on a couple of Zero7 albums that I have forgotten. I find Zero7 awfully dull and I have generally had enough of the whole downtempo-thing. AND I thought Sia was exactly that; a downtempo singer/songwriter like Natalie Walker and the like.
But she is definitely not. Some People have REAL Problems is more like Cat Power's The Greatest in terms of fully orchestrated arrangements and pathos while Sia's voice reminds me a lot of Feist's and Janis Joplin's. I am aware that Sia has gained considerably mixed reviews for this disc. For instance, the Tennessean writes that her soaring, gritty vocals are closely associated with what Portishead's Geoff Barrow labeled coffee table music, but I simply disagree. There is way too much emotion and sadness here and I would never listen to this while trying to feel comfortable. However, I WILL listen to this for a long time, I suspect. Have already several melodies and sentences stuck in my head. (christina_skov@hotmail.com)

I have mixed feelings.
I've never liked that slightly nasal soul-diva-ish vocal tick Sia so often employs, but on the tracks where she lets it go a little and communicates a more immediate and less affected personality (ie "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine"), I really enjoy her.
I especially like the band on this record... Nice, organic settings, great acoustic piano and delicate snares. Sounds like they're actually recording together in a room. (timjy@sbcglobal.net)

I'm really enjoying Sia's new album. There's an intensity that's different from her previous albums. Stylistically it's all over the place—pop/rock infused with r&b, hints of her downtempo work, a dash of gospel, another dash of ectronica, moments of delicacy (particularly on the last two tracks). Best of all it really works. The band is tight, the arrangements carry the album, giving a cohesiveness to the variety. Try "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine," "I Go to Sleep," or the single "Day Too Soon." Note: buying a hard copy of the disc gets you access to 4 downloadable bonus songs which are all really good. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Produced by:

Greg Kurstin

Comments:

I didn't listen to clips of this album before its release, so I didn't know what to expect, but I guess I expected it to be something like Some People Have Real Problems. It's not. It's a dance pop album, and the first time I listened to it I wasn't very enthused. But I listened again. And again... And now I find it really engaging and catchy. I do usually cut the album off after track 12, though. The cover of Madonna's "Oh Father" is strange, and the piano vocal version of "I'm In Here" doesn't really add anything to the original. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Produced by:

Comments:

I wasn't expecting much based on the singles, but I do like Sia a lot, and I was moved by her story about overcoming social anxiety, depression, and drug addiction, so I gave it a chance, and I'm glad I did. I like it a lot, and I think the songs that weren't released as singles are generally stronger. "Burn the Pages," "Elastic Heart" (from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack), Fire Meets Gasoline," and "Dressed in Black" are some of my favorites. There are some weird vocal things (cracks and places where her voice really sounds like it's straining) that annoy me, particularly on "Chandelier" and "Eye of the Needle," that keep me from totally loving the album. But they don't always bother me so much, and overall I do think it's a strong album and I'm glad Sia has returned to recording and releasing original music. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Comments:

Sia reclaims songs she wrote for other artists that they chose not to record. The songs are rather formulaic in structure, but there's less of the vocal affectation that marred 1000 Forms of Fear a bit for me. Overall, it's a fun-sounding record that makes a good listen played loud when I want something poppy. (I haven't paid much attention to the lyrical content, although generally there seems to be a lot of strength and resilience stuff.) (JoAnn Whetsell)

DISCLAIMER: Comments and reviews in the Ectophiles' Guide are excerpted from the ecto mailing list or volunteered by members of the list. They are the opinions of music enthusiasts, not professional music critics.

Entry last updated 2017-06-08 23:15:49.
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